


Silence

by Babamacska



Category: One Piece
Genre: Muteness, Nakama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:33:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25210180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Babamacska/pseuds/Babamacska
Summary: Zoro doesn't talk.(An AU where Zoro doesn't talk.)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 134





	Silence

**Author's Note:**

> I was just sitting around contemplating the fact that Zoro tends to be a less talkative person and thought, 'what if he didn't talk at all'. So now you get a Zoro who doesn't talk, I'm sorry. Not sorry about silent Zoro, though. Sorry, because I did pretty much no editing. I'll get to that later!

After Kuina died and his Sensei passed Wado Ichimonji to him, Zoro found less and less reason to talk to people. Kuina was one of the only people in his life who had understood him. She understood his drive to be the best and to constantly better himself. She was someone who was easy to talk to, even if half of their conversations were just smack talk during their latest sword match. She was the only person who could make him laugh so hard his belly ached, and didn’t ask him questions about his hair, where he came from, or his family. She was the only one who he found himself comfortable telling his deepest ambitions and fears to, because he knew she'd never laugh in his face and tell him he was crazy. She believed him, and believed in him just as much as he did her. then she was gone and everyday that passed became harder to find any reason to say anything to anyone. He didn’t have anything against the other students at the dojo, they just didn’t have much in common and couldn’t hold his interest. They didn’t understand his dream and the drive to give everything he had. So conversations usually ended after pleasantries and small talk. Very small, small talk. Even that didn’t last long. 

A few months after her death the only times he’d talk were when addressing his Sensei. Koshiro tried to get him to talk more and engage with the other students once he realized it was a problem, but by then it was too late and Zoro had even stopped speaking to his Sensei. He’d nod ‘yes’, shake his head ‘no’, shrug, and point, and that worked just fine for him. 

One year passed and he never said a word. People would goad him and tease him mercilessly, at first it was trying to get a response, trying to get him to talk, but once they realized he wouldn’t it became something else. It became taunting and jeers directed at him, and his odd silence.Zoro didn’t really care though, what they thought and what they said didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was becoming the best and keeping his promise to Kuina. He didn’t have to talk to be able to do that.

Koshiro Sensei had even resorted to pleading once, his eyes shiny with tears and gripping him by the shoulders firmly, but Zoro couldn’t get any words out. He didn’t have anything to say. 

After two years, people stopped pressing the matter. 

Three years and he had started using a few hand signs with his Sensei for a few communication purposes that he actually needed.

It worked well for him. 

Until he left home. 

Very rarely did people understand his hand signs. He was back to pointing, shrugging, nodding ‘yes’, and shaking ‘no’. It was okay though, because most of the time he didn’t have anything more to say, and when he did find himself in a situation when he needed to express himself more clearly, he tended to get it across with his sword. 

He became known as an accomplished bounty hunter during his roaming. One that was feared by everyone but people with bounties. Which was laughable. Bounties always seemed to think he was a joke once they realized he wouldn’t speak. They always said the same thing, that they’d be the man that took down the famous pirate hunter and earn a better reputation for themselves. And everytime Zoro would never respond, because speaking never made someone a better swordsman.

His silence became just as well known and feared as his swordsmanship. 

* * *

  
  


Zoro found a lot of time to think after being tied up to a pole in the middle of a marine yard. That marine’s brat would always saunter up to him and mock him. He’d have the guards beat him and taunt him with food and water. Trying everything he could to get the ‘Silent Demon of the East Blue’ to make even a whisper. It never worked, and it frustrated the blonde more and more with every passing day. Everytime he stayed silent some form of punishment was handed out, and Zoro took it without a sound escaping his lips. It was a never ending cycle.

Until Luffy found him.

"You should join my crew!" Zoro watched lamely as the pink haired boy pulled on the straw hat kid's arm. 

"Luffy! What are you doing?! Do you even realize who you're talking to?" Luffy smiled wide and never took his eyes off Zoro. Ignoring the increasingly panicked boy beside him Luffy continued on.

"Well? Do you wanna?"

"Luffy, he's dangerous! Let's go!" Zoro glares at them and bares his teeth in a way he knows is intimidating. People have said he resembles a feral animal when he does it. It works at making the pink haired boy shriek and pull at his companion with a renewed vigor. Luffy, however, just cocks his head and continues to wait for an answer he'll never get. 

Eventually, the smaller boy is able to convince Luffy to leave him be and he's back to staring at the ground. He's not sure how long he's left there until the straw hat kid is back but the shadows are different so at least an hour or two, maybe three. This time though he's looking at him differently, more determined. 

"The lady at the bar told me and Koby what you did." His eyes flick to look at where his hands are tied to the post, before focusing back on his face. "You're a nice guy. Strong too." Zoro almost wanted to laugh. Nice? Noone has used 'nice' as a way to describe him in his whole life. He watches as Luffy crosses his arms looking him over again, "I'll get you out if you join my pirate crew." Zoro feels his face scrunch up. It's hard to imagine this kid’s a captain of a pirate crew. Suddenly, the kid with pink hair is there again, no longer afraid of Zoro it seems. He must be Koby then. 

"Luffy, weren't you paying any attention to what that lady said!?" He admonishes. "He can't talk, he won't answer you." But Luffy ignored him.

"They're going to kill you." Zoro's attention snapped to him. "We heard them say they were gonna kill you. Join my crew, I’ll set you free." 

An image of the marine's son pops into Zoro's head.  _ That slimy little fuck! He's going back on his word.  _ Zoro tugs against the ropes, but after days of being tied in the hot sun without food and water he doesn't have the strength to do much of anything. 

"The lady said you were a swordsman." Zoro snaps his attention back to the two people in front of him. "But I don't see any swords." As if to make a point Luffy looks around the ground and shrugs. Against his better judgment Zoro finds himself looking at the marine compound, where he had watched that fucking blonde brat disappear with his swords. With Wado. "Ah! Don't worry I'll get them back for you!" And then Luffy’s arms stretch as he flings himself toward the building. 

He stares wide-eyed and mouth agape. The heat must finally be getting to him.

"I know it's weird, but you'll get used to it. Luffy ate a devil fruit." He turned back to Koby who was now working on the ropes trapping his arms, processing the information. 

A devil fruit. He figured they were just stories people told children to scare them. They weren't real. But they were. He just saw that they were very, very real. 

Wait.

_ I'll get used to it?  _ Zoro glared at the kid as his attempts at loosening the ropes failed.  _ I never agreed to join!  _ The kid didn't even flinch at the look though, which Zoro figured deserved some props, he’s sent much bigger and deadlier men running with the same look. He doesn’t have much time to put up any form of protest more than that, before there are guards aiming guns at them.

From there everything is a bit of a whirlwind of events.Watching Luffy jump in the way and deflecting the deadly spray of bullets, finally getting loose and having his swords back in his hands, it all feels like pure ecstasy. It feels right, like it’s where he belongs. So maybe that's why he doesn’t put up much of a fight and instead turns to Luffy and gives him a small salute. 

_ That’s my captain now, _ he thinks as his vision blurs and finally goes black.

* * *

  
  


He really likes Luffy. He’s got his own dream, to be Pirate King, and Zoro’s got no doubt in his mind he’s going to do it. Luffy is a bouncing ball of chaotic energy, with a smile so big and bright, on anyone else it would seem disingenuous. Luffy doesn’t seem to care at all that he doesn’t talk, he’s not even sure Luffy remembers half the time. His captain will rattle off a thousand words a second it seems like, asking him silly questions.

“Zoro, do you like meat? Zoro, why’s your ear pierced? Do you think we can catch some fish? Why do clouds look like candy floss? Are you hungry? I’m hungry, we should catch some fish!” It’s one thing right after the other and he never stops to hear Zoro’s answer. Zoro wonders if he doesn’t stop because he simply has a lot to say or because he knows Zoro isn’t going to answer. 

He hopes it’s the first. He might not talk, but he has a lot to say.

Luffy calms down after the first few days together and Zoro enjoys the quiet moments where Luffy lays next to him and points out clouds as they pass by, or tells him ridiculous stories. Zoro notices that he doesn’t need to talk for Luffy to understand what he’s saying, he understands him and his silence just fine. Again, it feels right, he just belongs there.

* * *

  
  


After the mess with Buggy, Zoro is content to sleep for days, but the new girl won’t let him. He swats at her when she leans over him and pulls his shirt up to poke at his newest stab wound.

“Ew!” Her apparent disgust doesn’t stop the prodding. “This will need a few stitches, you’re lucky I’m here.” He’s not so sure he’d use the term lucky when she starts sewing the edges of the cut together. Once she finishes covering the wound in fresh bandages, and cleans her hands off the side of the dinghy, she settles down across from him. She gives him an appraising look, and he feels his eye twitch. “So why does a bounty hunter like you join a pirate?”

He smirks and gives her a shrug,  _ Why did you?  _ He’s rewarded with a sharp kick to his ankle, so he kicks her back. 

“Enough with the strong and silent routine,” she rolls her eyes and kicks again, “you know it doesn’t actually make you tougher, right?” Zoro sends her a flat look and flips her off. She slaps his leg, and Zoro wonders when she’s going to stop hitting him. She’s smacked Luffy a few times too, so if he had to take a guess he’d say close to never.

“Zoro can’t talk!” Luffy chirps from the second dinghy, he’s been going through all of Nami’s stuff. Zoro’s surprised she let him, but figures Nami recognizes that Luffy’s not a threat to her. Nami straightens in surprise as she looks between her two crewmates and settles on Zoro, as if waiting for him to tell her it's a joke. After a minute of silence she realises he’s not going to answer.

“Oh! Sorry.” Zoro notes that she looks a little bashful as she says it. “I thought that ‘Silent Demon’ thing was all an act.” He reaches over to pat her on the shoulder, so she knows there’s no hard feelings.

_Almost_ _everyone thinks that_. 

“So, not a lot of stimulating conversation on this crew.” It’s not a question. 

“Nami, I’m hungry! Do you have any meat?”

_ Probably not. _

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!


End file.
